Random Thoughts and Notes

July 07, 2016

Ho Chi Minh is the business and cultural center of Viet Nam. It is vibrant and bustling, and is dotted with skyscrapers and luxury residential and commercial buildings, including shopping malls. The central area is still called Saigon and is in evidence by the names of many hotels and businesses. Traffic is horrendous and cars are greatly outnumbered by motor scooters, which don't always follow traffic signals and frequently turnout the sidewalks. Pedestrians need to be very cautious, but one can walk everywhere.

The French colonial influence is found here and there but is not as pervasive as the English influence in Hong Kong Part of this is due to the fact that the British influence on Hong Kong lasted much longer and was generally less brutal and viewed much more favorably by the population there.

While Ho Chi Minh is not nearly as wealthy as wealthy as Hong Kong, economic activity is clearly extremely healthy and nowhere do you see the crushing poverty visible in say, India or Bangladesh.

There are quiet areas in Hong Kong, and my hotel, Hotel des Arts Saigon, is on a relatively peaceful street in the central district. Cafes are everywhere and coffee is clearly the national beverage.

July 05, 2016

Hong Kong is a spectacular city - dramatically situated, modern skyscrapers rising out of old markets, dotted with British colonial-era buildings as well as a few very Chinese structures. It is replete with luxury alongside middle and working-class residential buildings. Its cosmopolitan population means it has an astonishing array of restaurants with all cuisines imaginable. Clearly still growing, there is construction everywhere. Surprisingly, parks occupy a very large portion of the land area, which makes it seem very liveable.

September 09, 2015

I am going to be examining every rider in the Republican primary clown car and showing why they should not be president. I will not be dealing with the Donald right away. Stay tuned for my posts, beginning next week.

November 13, 2011

Since the District of Columbia legalized gay marriage, I have had the honor of attending the weddings of several friends. Friday evening, I attended the wedding of one couple and a reception for another. At the wedding, I had the pleasure of meeting The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District's Delegate to the United States House of Representatives (the district does not have full representation in Congress).

Congresswoman norton was delightful. We discussed the changes in the south's partisan complexion over the years as well as the Civil Rights movement and how the opportunities open to women had changed so drastically in her lifetime. We also acknowledged and praised the leadership and courage that President Lyndon Johnson showed in pushing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through Congress against the objections and concerns of many of his own fellow Democrats.

As we discussed this, it occurred to me that the following reception was for another gay couple, both of whom are conservative republicans. Earlier last week, I received the announcement of yet another couple's wedding announcement and one of them is a staunch Republican. I am very happy that my gay Republican friends are allowed to marry, but would caution them to remember that the next time they vote, they should remember thet were allowed to marry recently because of the Democratic DC government, and over the objections of their fellow Republicans.

July 31, 2010

I love Arlington. It's an anomaly in Virginia, being nearly 75 percent Democratic in voter registration, having one of the highest concentrations of Ph.D.'s in the country and having a pedestrian culture. It is a great place for restaurants and nightlife and the population is very diverse ethnically. It does have enclaves of low income people, but in general the population is educated and very upper middle class. As one can imagine, this can lead to some stereotypes, and a local comedian has captured this brilliantly.

One of Remy's videos caught my attention last night and I wanted to share it. It's called the Clarendon Rap. Here it is:

March 18, 2010

As someone with far more Irish blood than anything else, for years I struggled with what St. Patrick's Day means. Last night we had friends over for a St. Patrick's day dinner. Tom cooked corned beef and cabbage, vegetables, carpaccio salad and clam chowder, all of which were excellent.
We had several friends over and as usual had a great time.
We had interesting conversation, a lot to drink, a lot to eat and a lot of laughs. In the end, I think I learned what St. Patrick's Day is. To be sure, it's about celebrating Ireland and things Irish. But, it's also about friends, family and enjoying life. I believe that is what being Irish and proud is all about,

As someone with far more Irish blood than anything else, for years I struggled with what St. Patrick's Day means. Last night we had friends over for a St. Patrick's day dinner. Tom cooked corned beef and cabbage, vegetables, carpaccio salad and clam chowder, all of which were excellent.
We had several friends over and as usual had a great time.
We had interesting conversation, a lot to drink, a lot to eat and a lot of laughs. In the end, I think I learned what St. Patrick's Day is. To be sure, it's about celebrating Ireland and things Irish. But, it's also about friends, family and enjoying life. I believe that is what being Irish and proud is all about,

October 21, 2009

Autumn has always been my favorite season. I think it goes back to when I was in school. It came to signify the promise of a new year. We made it to Maine this month in time to enjoy the spectacular foliage.

One of the treasures of York County, Maine, is the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. primarily marshland and serves as a sanctuary for migratory birds. My apologies for the blurriness. One of the drawbacks of the iPhone is that it takes pictures in bitmap format and they don't transfer well.

Rachel Carson wrote extensively on the ocean and marshes, so this beautiful preserve is a very fitting memorial to her.

September 30, 2009

It has been one month since I last posted to this blog, and in the several months previous I was only posting about once a month. Facebook is prtially responsible for this neglect, as well as laziness. There are certain topics that require more in-depth attention, discussion and, frankly, thought, than Facebook, though. So, I'm going to start posting more regularly again, hopefully daily.

Tom and I are heading tothe house in Maine in two days for a relaxing ten days. Our friend Gary will be flying up with us and staying for four days, and we'll have several other visitors over the course of the trip. I will be posting photos of the gorgeous New England Auttumn as well as observations on life.